6 Reasons Why Expats in Thailand Need a VPN

White-sand beaches, warm sunshine, and delicious food. Living in an exotic country like Thailand can help you achieve the lifestyle you always wanted.

Nevertheless, as an expat (a person who lives and works in a foreign country), you have to be aware of the cyber threats you may face.

Phishing emails, data breaches, compromised passwords – there are only a few attacks expats in Thailand are exposed to. Having a quality VPN can help you create a safe environment whenever you go online.

Below, we share the seven main reasons why expats in Thailand need a solid VPN.

1. Secure Public and Private Connections

Before going any further, it’s essential to understand that cybersecurity attacks are on the rise. Research suggests that:

• More than 800,000 people are hacked every year.
• The cost of cybercrime will increase from $3 to $10.5 trillion in 10 years.

Expats usually work at cafes with public Wi-Fi connections that aren’t safe. You don’t know who set it up and who else has an access to it. It means someone may be spying on you or even trying to steal your data.

Working from home doesn’t mean you’re safe either. Using low-quality internet service providers (ISPs) can result in potential breaches or data leaks.

VPNs can eliminate a large number of threats by encrypting and protecting your data. This means using a VPN allows you to work safely from any part of Thailand.

2. Avoid Potentially Harmful Targeted Ads

It’s common practice for websites to collect and sell consumer information online. The problem is that this data can end up in the wrong hands.

Unethical companies and cybercriminals can use this data in fraudulent or deceitful ways. Once they gather enough information, they can use it to target people with harmful ads. To give you an idea, these entities may:

• Promote gambling apps to expats with potential addiction struggles in Thailand.
• Promote fake charities to expats who are more likely to donate.

VPNs alter your apparent location as well as your IP address. This is enough to confuse the algorithms used by most ads providers. Which, in turn, reduces the accuracy and overall success of the ads being displayed to you.

3. Prevent Price Adjustments Based on Location

Price adjustment is a common technique used in e-commerce. In simple words, the price of goods and services is changed based on users’ location.

The idea behind it is that the purchasing power, as well as the amount of money people are willing to pay for the same product, differ within the country. At the same time, the cost of delivery and the demand for the product can also influence the fare.

In other words, customers from Phuket or Koh Samui may get different fares for the same service they intend to buy.

Although it sounds reasonable, it’s important to understand that:

• The location of the buyer has a huge impact on the price of the product;
• Using a VPN allows you to change your location and find some of the best deals.

Through a VPN, you can select the location of the servers you connect through. This gives you more control over the prices you see. You can compare rates in different regions to opt for the best alternative.

If you want to learn about other helpful VPN features, you can visit https://surfshark.com/download for more information.

4. Increase Online Banking Security

Most expats use online banking systems. Cybercriminals can attack users’ online accounts when they log in through insecure connections.

Having your bank login credentials compromised can cause major difficulties. Especially if your bank’s office isn’t available in the city where you stay.

The good news is that by using a VPN with strong encryption standards you will:

• Have a secured connection when logging into your bank account;
• Be able to hide your traffic while making transfers;
• Set up your home location to avoid being blocked by your own bank.

Quality VPNs allow you to keep your hard-earned money safe and prevent any unpleasant surprises. Such as when your bank sees your transaction from overseas as suspicious activity and blocks your card.

5. Boost Privacy and Overall Security

Staying anonymous can prevent internet service providers and other parties from collecting and selling your information.

Unethical websites can steal your data and sell it to third parties. Unfortunately, potential data buyers include malicious entities that can use the information for:

• Identity theft and hacks;
• Unauthorized credit card purchases;
• Phishing campaigns and other forms of fraud.

Having a VPN installed will boost your cybersecurity and help you to learn more about other ways to protect your digital footprint. High-quality VPNs offer a range of other supportive services such as antivirus, anonymous browsing, cyber threats alerts, and more.

Picking a VPN pay attention to the set of features you’ll get and opt for those companies, that have a reputation as cybersecurity experts.

6. Improve Internet Connection Speeds

Finally, the internet speed conundrum.

Some Thai ISPs limit the internet speed for their customers. It’s a common practice across Europe and the Americas as well, but, this may be a problem if you’re an expat working in Thailand.

To regulate your internet speed, ISPs need to know:

• How much data is being transferred;
• At what speed this data is being transferred.

VPN connections mask the amount of data transmitted, making it difficult for ISP to control loading speeds.

This is why, in many cases, using a VPN can boost your internet connection speed and allow you to work without interruptions.

Conclusion

A lot of companies have access to their customers’ sensitive information. Unfortunately, not all of them use it for the good cause. Protecting your online privacy and security is more important than ever before.

If you’re using a VPN to connect to the internet from Thailand, you’ll prevent malicious parties from intercepting your transmissions and using the information in any harmful way. Just remember to read reviews and choose a trustworthy VPN service provider.